Deacon Joseph Rampino is excited to offer mercy in confession

Joseph Rampino is ordained to the diaconate by New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome Oct. 1, 2015.

Deacon Joseph Rampino grew up in a U.S. Air Force family.
Like all military children, he moved from state to state
every few years. He grew up with a sense of duty to country
and a recognition that one's life belongs to more than just
oneself.

Yet Deacon Rampino's response to the call to the priesthood
was different than fulfilling a militaristic requirement, he
said. Even more so than a man enlisting to serve his
homeland, a "yes" to a vocation is a commitment founded on
love - "like an obligation between friends and lovers," he
said.

The seeds of his vocation were sewn in his Catholic family
where Mass was a source of stability in a life full of
transitions. During high school, he attended youth group at
Holy Spirit Church in Annandale, giving him great
availability to the sacrament of confession.

"Father Jim Searby (the parochial vicar of Holy Spirit)
taught the guys to go to confession," even standing in the
parking lot after youth group to hear them, said Deacon
Rampino.

Going to confession regularly, he said, "forces you to
examine your life before the face of God. It has quite an
effect." His time at Holy Spirit was also the beginning of
learning how to pray in front of the tabernacle. In the midst
of it all, "I became incredibly attracted to the idea of this
life (of priesthood) and proximity to the sacraments," he
said.

After graduating high school, he attended St. Charles
Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa., for four years, and was
sent to Rome to attend the Pontifical North American College.
During his time there, he has enjoyed the art, the Chinese
restaurant near the seminary and being able to witness the
great universality of the Catholic Church throughout both
time and space.

This Easter, he was privileged to sing in front of Pope
Francis during the vigil Mass at St. Peter's Basilica. "I
practiced the singing so that it wasn't too nerve wracking,
but having to carry the paschal candle, which could smash in
a million pieces, was," he said. He loved witnessing the Holy
Father initiate believers into the church. "Some people cry
at weddings. I cry at baptisms," he said.

During his years in seminary, Deacon Rampino learned the
importance of trust in God. "The first lie the devil tells us
is God is not looking out for your best interest," he said.
"Learning to trust in the goodness of God is an ongoing
lesson. Christ is actually on your side - He's not going to
switch halfway through."

When he gets ordained June 11, Deacon Rampino is looking
forward to offering people Christ's mercy in confession. "If
someone feels trapped by a sin, that heaven is closed above
and earth doesn't want them, I can actually say, 'I set you
free,' " he said.

Di Mauro can be reached at zdimauro@catholicherald.com or on
Twitter @zoeydimauro.